hood Center, and it doesn't look or feel
like the same place. It's lighter, brighter,
action among the children who are no longer
sequestered in classrooms separated by walls and
doors. It's a testament to the radical changes that
can be made without tearing a building down and
replacing it with a new one.
years of no physical updates except for the addition
of a few closets, the Early Childhood Center was
badly in need of change. As plans and options were
under discussion, Middle Division Head, Jane
Johnson, offered that she had a connection to
Fielding Nair International, LLC, a renowned archi-
tectural firm that specializes in educational facilities.
the firm, is known as one of the world's leading
change agents in school design. He was invited to
come and tour the building. Afterwards, he
responded with an innovative plan that would
maintain the actual structure while completely
changing the design.
Childhood Division. "He said this is going to take a
lot of professional development and you're going to
get a lot of pushback from the teachers. He was
amazed at how quickly they embraced the project.
The [old] space wasn't optimal for what we know
about how children learn. The new building allows
teachers to do what they were already doing but to
do it even better."
the tops of the walls, affording no view of the out-
side, and minimal natural light. New, floor-to-ceiling
windows not only flood the building with light; but
the view of the outside world also presents a whole
new landscape of learning opportunities.
space that is the perfect learning environment for
children of this age," says Abbie Bowen, junior
kindergarten teacher. "Many of their questions,
ideas and projects have stemmed from observing
the natural world outside the classroom. Watching
plants grow from the natural sunlight, observing the
many birds and squirrels as they search for food, dis-
covering that algae grows much faster on our fish
tanks in direct sunlight, and wondering why the
leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground